Halloween Oneshot
by Northern Goshawk
Summary: Just your favorite characters getting ready for Halloween! Featuring: Northern Goshawk and Doorslam22


Northern sighed, tapping her finger to her blade irritatingly. Her helmet rested on the table in front of her. A tankard of flaming-red liquid rested right in front of her. Every once in a while, she grabbed it and took a swig.

For the holiday, she had switched out her normal Warlord armor in favor of a black robe-like costume that featured a pointed-hood of which the interior was blue. An insignia was printed onto the left side of her chest: a raven in the midst of a blue shield-shaped sign, surrounded by an intricate pattern that vaguely resembled wings. At the bottom were the words _Ravenclaw_.

_Where are they?_ she thought, irritated, glancing at the clock that was situated on the mantle in the living room, which read 5:15. _I mean, I know that Axel needs particularly _big _robes, but c'mon, this is ridiculous!_

A shuffling sound from the main hall signalled the appearance of someone else, and sure enough, Doorslam22 walked right in, flourishing his own robes (which were of Hufflepuff) that were thrown over his red-and-white-striped sweater. He raised an eyebrow, taking in the scene of Northern's own robes, her mask, and the tankard of cinnamon soda.

All he said was, "Firewhisky, huh?" He glanced around. "Where's the butterbeer?"

Northern internally smiled. Of _course_ this was what Doorslam would say; he was in Hufflepuff, after all. She jerked a thumb non-committedly towards the kitchen. Muttering a hasty "Thanks," Doorslam bustled into the kitchen, brandishing his own tankard and pouring the butterscotch soda in the glass.

"Where're the others?" Doorslam asked as he sat down across from the Ender-Phoenix, taking a swig of the golden liquid.

Northern shrugged, deciding to voice her thoughts. "Beats me. They're supposed to be here by now." She stretched out her arms. "I mean, I get that Axel has a huge build, but they should've fixed it by now."

Doorslam nodded. "They probably forgot something and had to go back to get it."

Northern shrugged. "That's the best case scenario. Worst case: they died."

Doorslam stared at her, looking disturbed. It was times like these that made Northern amused. Finally, he took another swig of butterbeer. "You're a real bucket of sunshine, aren't you?" he quipped.

Northern shrugged. "We live in a world full of _monsters_," she pointed out. "Although with Petra at their side, their chances of dying are minimalized," she added, mostly to herself.

Doorslam shrugged, taking another swig of butterbeer. "Petra's alright," he admitted, "but she's really…" He seemed to struggle with his words for a moment.

"Temperamental?" Northern suggested, the bank of vocabulary words popping it into her mind.

"Yeah. That." Doorslam sighed. "She could do with a dose of optimism every once in a while."

"Well, she _had_ been a mercenary," Northern pointed out. "I s'pose her job description doesn't include being optimistic." She took another sip, the strong, sharp flavor of cinnamon, as well as the fizz in the soda, coursing over her tongue.

"True."

A bang from the front of the house, followed by the sudden rush of voices clamoring, reached the Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's ears. Doorslam and Northern glanced at each other, Northern raising an eyebrow. _I suppose we're about to find out why they're late,_ she thought

Jesse was the first to enter, his Hufflepuff robes ruffled. "Sorry," he panted. "Axel forgot his wand."

Doorslam glanced at Northern, as if to say, _See?_

Northern shook her head slightly.

Not noticing the exchange between the two, Jesse lumbered into the kitchen, complaining about how hungry he was.

When he moved away, Jessi was standing in his place, decked out in Gryffindor robes, a scarf, and handling a broomstick.

Northern nodded towards the broomstick. "Quidditch?"

Jessi grinned, nodding. "I would've _loved_ to try out if I were at Hogwarts."

Northern leaned back, nodding with her. "Wouldn't blame ya." She stretched out her arms. "I could probably do it if I had an affinity for Quidditch."

Doorslam rolled his eyes. "Since when _haven't_ you been good at _anything?_"

Northern shot him a glare out of narrowed eyes. "We are _not_ starting this again!"

"Well, it _is_ true." Northern glanced up. There was Lukas, in all his Hufflepuff glory. He slid down next to the two.

Northern sighed, thoroughly exasperated. As much as their compliments cheered her up, she was _not_ about to let them depreciate themselves. "You guys are good at a lot of things!" she protested.

"Like…?" Doorslam looked unconvinced.

"You -" Northern pointed to her friend. "- are good at Bed Wars and making sure no one gets in our base. And you -" She nodded to Lukas. "- are _crazy_ good at building. If there's one thing I don't like doing, it's building and redstone."

"You don't like _redstone?_"

Northern, Doorslam, and Lukas all looked up. There was Ravenclaw-clad Olivia, peering down at Northern with a shocked expression.

Though Northern felt kinda bad (she shouldn't, it was just a preference, right?), she shrugged. "Sorry, Olivia."

Olivia slid in the seat next to Doorslam. "So you like…?"

Northern shifted, a little uncomfortable. She had only known Jesse's gang for, what, three months and decided to go trick-or-treating with them. Although she's gotten to know them better, she wasn't too keen on suddenly _letting_ people in to her inner world.

It was because of this that made her, according to Doorslam, a Raveryn. Or a Slytherclaw. Whatever.

Nevertheless, she answered, "I like reading, as well as doing combat; strategizing especially." She shrugged. "I have loads of hobbies. I'm good at a lot of stuff, and I just…enjoy it."

Lukas looked intrigued. "But you don't like building or redstone?"

Northern nodded. "Yeah; I lose patience with building, and redstone…it's not my cup of tea."

"You know what? Same though."

All four of them glanced up to see Petra, donned in her Slytherin uniform. She strolled over to the table. Right behind her was Axel in his Hufflepuff robes.

"Man, I'm starving!" Axel declared. He lumbered into the kitchen, leaving the redhead with the four of them.

Petra was peering at Northern with interest, which Northern calmly reciprocated. "You like combat?"

Northern nodded. "Used to take taekwondo. Got the first-level black belt before I moved." She flexed her hand. "Then I began taking Shaolin Kung Fu. It's fun, and I really like the swordsmanship." She inclined her head towards her sword.

Petra was staring, apparently transfixed by the glowing runes of the blade, before turning to Doorslam. "And what about you?"

Doorslam shrugged. "I'm a second gold-stripe black belt in taekwondo. Though," he added wryly, "I'd prefer to go about things the pacifist way."

Northern nodded. "Sometimes the best way to avoid a conflict is to walk away."

Petra stared at them, looking as if they baffled her. Finally, she shrugged, flopping down into one of the chairs that was at the head of the table. "Eh, I prefer taking it on headfirst."

Doorslam made a face. "Of course."

Everyone laughed at his expression. This, Northern reflected, was an ideal day: just relaxing with friends. No worries about missions, no worries about being on call.

Of course, Northern enjoys the missions, and though she's technically a Drifter*, she still does the missions just to _do_ something.

If she was honest, she even did it just to move on.

But sometimes, she just wished that the good old days would come back: the days in which she and her friends could sit around a table, drinking butterbeer and firewhiskey and chatting animatedly about nonsense that only they understood.

This…this was the closest she's come to in a long time.

Jesse strolled into the room and sat down next to Petra, chatting with the redhead. Meanwhile, Northern noted, Jessi sat down next to Lukas. Lukas' eyes lit up, and he began talking comfortably with her.

Doorslam caught Northern's eye. He grinned, gesturing at the two pairs.

Northern blinked and glanced at the respective pairs. Now that she concentrated, she found what Doorslam meant. She grinned internally, though she tried her best to keep her face straight. Even so, she could feel the corners of her mouth twitching.

Before she could say anything, Olivia glanced at the clock. "Hey, it's 6:00," she called. The deafening scrape of chairs answered her as everyone surged to their feet, making their way towards the door.

Northern noted how closely Jesse walked with Petra, as well as the hushed murmurs coming from Lukas' and Jessi's direction, since they had their heads close to each other.

She grinned, veering away from the two pairs. It was best to…leave some space for them.

Doorslam caught her eye again. He pointed at the two pairs and grinned wickedly.

Northern found herself grinning back.

Maybe this Halloween wouldn't be too bad after all.

* * *

**A/N HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**

**Well, okay, EST-wise, I'm a day early, but still, consider it a Halloween present :D**

**Let me know what you're dressing (or already dressed up) as in the reviews! Yes, I am dressing up in Ravenclaw robes (#Ravenclaw4Life!), though it's more casual than anything**

**Thanks for you guys' support in my three stories, _When Family Matters_, _A Children's Story_, and _Into the Code_! If you haven't read any of them, you should check them out**

***A Drifter is someone from Warlords who isn't exactly convicted to stay in the army. Rather, they're more of an explorer. Because of this status, they don't _have_ to complete missions; some do, others don't**

**Have a Happy Halloween! Peace out!**


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